Camperdown Festival

2024 Robert Burns Camperdown Celtic Festival

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From 2024 Camperdown’s Iconic Robert Burns Scottish Festival will be re-branded as the Robert Burns Celtic Festival and held on 21st – 23rd of June, 2024. Enjoyment of Robert Burns artistry, and appreciation of his independent philosophy saw enthusiastic embracement amongst his Celtic neighbours, especially the Irish in the 18th and 19th Centuries.  Given the substantial Scottish and Irish migration to South West Victoria in the 19th century  the Festival committee has chosen to adjust describing its festival to reflect this, hence we now have a new name that captures Burns Beyond Scotland ‘The 2024 Camperdown Robert Burns Celtic Festival’. This change to a Celtic festival expands our ability to include performers from Ireland, Wales and England while retaining connections to regular Scottish performers. The Robert Burns Celtic Festival is a winter literary and music festival, celebrating Scotland’s national Poet and the Celtic culture in poetry, song, music and dance, in and around the historic buildings of Camperdown. Dr John Menzies OAM, Chair …

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Press Release – Robert Burns Scottish Festival 2023 Wrap

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Dr John Menzies, OAM said “the Festival was a great success this year with a full festival program including free events and ticketed events on offer proved to be a great combination for patrons and visitors to Camperdown, lots of people took advantage of the festival events, venues were well full and well patronised. The hard work in planning and putting the festival has meet all of our expectations”. The 2023 Robert Burns Scottish Festival committee presented a successful weekend. The festival kicked off with the Movie ‘Falling for Figaro’ on Thursday night. On Friday evening 100 guests came to the Gala Dinner featuring a sumptuous Scottish meal including the Address to the Haggis given by festival performer Fiona Ross, who later performed a wonderful selection of Traditional Scottish song, Merran Moir played the small pipes and son Kyle Moir played the bag pipes. Hugh and Janet Gordon also entertained the patrons. Strip the Willow …

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BURNS FESTIVAL LECTURE PROGRAM PRESS RELEASE

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A full and interesting program of lectures will be presented as part of the Robert Burns Scottish Festival on Saturday 1st July at the Killara Centre. Tickets Available Now: https://www.trybooking.com/CICVY Scottish born Fiona Ross will start the program at 10:30 am with a lecture exploring Burns’ approach to songwriting and discuss some of his better and lesser-known compositions. Fiona is a very accomplished singer with a strong interest in the history of traditional Scottish music and song. Stewart McArthur will be the second presenter at 11:30 am. He will talk about his family and local Scottish connections to the composition of Australia’s best loved folk song, Waltzing Matilda. Stewart is a well-known 4th generation descendant of a founding Scot of Camperdown district, Peter McArthur. He is a farmer, businessman and former politician. After the lunch break, at 1:30 pm, Dr Rosalie Triolo will present her findings about Scottish born teacher-enlistees from Camperdown district schools in World War …

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29 JUNE – 2 JULY 2023 ROBERT BURNS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL WEEKEND

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29 JUNE – 2 JULY 2023 ROBERT BURNS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL WEEKEND IS PROMISING TO BE A GREAT FESTIVAL WITH A FULL PROGRAM OF EVENTS. Tickets Available Now: https://www.trybooking.com/CICVY $60 Weekend Ticket (excludes Gala Dinner & Lectures – includes entry to 4 concerts – 3 Saturday, and Finale on Sunday, value $100)$35 Saturday Day Ticket (includes entry to 3 concerts – morning, afternoon and evening, value $75)$25 Single Entry$25 Saturday – Lecture Series$80 Friday – Night Gala Dinner$5 Thursday – Movie Night ‘ Falling for Figaro’Suggested Donation $15 – Saturday Ploughman’s Lunch with Unicorn Tapestry, limited spaces.FREE – Festival Choir FREE – Sunday Morning Concert – Gathering @ The BardFREE – Family Show with Eric ReadFREE – Kid’s Activities, Highland Dancing demonstrations & more… read on for full program details, including the school’s program, cooking classes, golf tournament and shortbread baking competition. For further information please contact Catherine O’Flynn RBSF Co-ordinator on 0407 056 126Connect: camperdownburnsfestival.com and facebook.com/robertburnsfestival Festival Chairperson, Dr …

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RBSF 2022 PROGRAM OF EVENTS

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Book Tickets Here – from 10am May 4 2022 ROBERT BURNS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL IS PROMISING TO BE GREAT FESTIVAL WITH A FULL PROGRAM OF EVENTS  The 2022 Robert Burns Scottish Festival is set to return to Camperdown 1-2-3 July this year. The Festivals Chairperson, Dr John Menzies OAM is pleased to announce that festival is going ahead and promises to be a great festival.  After two years of Covid restrictions and limited festival events last year due to the Covid restrictions the committee are working hard to ensure that Patrons and the local community are able to enjoy a full festival in 2022. The committee have invited back the musicians who were to perform at last years cancelled festival. These include The Melbourne Scottish Fiddle Club, Fiona Ross and Shane O’Mara, Claire Patti,  Austral, and Cornerhouse. A line-up of talented local bands and musicians including Pete Daffy and his band, The Twa Bards, Tuniversal Music …

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The Robert Burns Scottish Festival School Children’s Art Competition was held in local schools during last term.

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Previous Next Children from St Pats Primary, Camperdown College, St Thomas Primary and Terang College entered their Art works based on Robert Burns poem “To a Mouse”  Over 200 entries were judged by Jo Kenna and her helpers Penny and Pam.  Co-ordinator of the RBSF Schools program Caroline Menzies was thrilled with the entries and the children’s interpretation of Burns poem, and the great work teachers put into supporting the children.  “Prep, grade 1 and grade 2 students portrayed their favourite animals and how the care for them their art work included colourful drawings and paintings of mice, chickens and bees.  The Grade 3 to 6 students listened to and interpreted the poem “To a Mouse” and produced some very thoughtful and vivid art works Mrs Menzies said.” The Children’s Art work will be displayed in local shop windows in Camperdown and Terang during the School holidays and the committee would like to thank Jacinta …

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September RBSF Weekend Events Cancelled

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Camperdown’s Robert Burns Scottish Festival [RBSF] September event cancelled for a 2nd Year due to Covid-19 Delta Strain and current state of affairs. The Camperdown 2021 Robert Burns Scottish Festival has been cancelled.  Chairperson Dr John Menzies OAM said “due to continuing uncertainty and extended lockdown with restrictions, the festival committee has cancelled the remaining events of the RBSF for 2021.”   The organising committee delivered components of the festival, known as` Burns Bites’, in July, these ‘bites’  proved to be very successful and were well patronised. It was planned to move the main event to September.  It is now evident with that we cannot do this now because of the current outbreak in Victoria, “This pandemic has been fast moving, impacting many communities such that most Events and Festivals have had to be cancelled.  The Communities’ Public Safety, health and wellbeing will improve in the coming months once folk have been immunised and we obtain a high level of immunity.” Dr Menzies said. …

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RBSF July 2021 Weekend Cancelled

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Continuing uncertainty over Covid-19 restrictions and the unavailability of Camperdown’s Theatre Royal complex for performances has led the organisers of Camperdown’s Robert Burns  Scottish Festival to reconsider the structure of this year’s program and they have come up with an innovative solution which hopefully will have the support of patrons. The events of the 2-3-4th of July will be spread out to safe times in Spring, and the pre-existing performance commitments at Darlington’s Public Hall -19thJune, and Terang’s Commercial Hotel – 1stJuly – will go ahead as planned. Paid-up ticket holders will be offered the option of a refund or may opt to use their ticket to attend the deferred events. So the 2021 Robert Burns Scottish Festival will be a novel series of “Burns’ Bites” and it is hoped that supporters will be sympathetic and supportive of these changes which the organisers have been reluctant to make. The golf will go ahead as planned on …

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RBSF Press Release #1 2021

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The 2021 Camperdown Robert Burns Scottish Festival is moving with the times – and leading from the front! Festival Chairperson Dr John Menzies OAM said, “Skills acquired through Covid necessities saw the virtual 2020 festival launched on line.  This received national and international praise so now a virtual component with international contributions will be an integral part of this years `in person’ festival.” In responding to this interest from afar the organising committee has set up a dialogue with festivals in Scotland  -Ayr`s Tamfest-New Zealand- Dunedin`s Robbie Rocks festival, America- the American Scottish  Foundation which organises New York`s Tartan Festival, and the Robert Burns World Federation. There have been valuable exchanges of ideas which will benefit our festival. One key feature of this international collaboration is that Robert Burns’ legacy is relevant worldwide. A fundamental belief of the Camperdown committee is that while we are contributing to our local Australian culture that has imported/colonial features it is most important that we respect the culture of the first …

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Virtual Festival Launch Saturday 4th July

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Celebrating connections new and old! Online concerts; The Camperdown Robert Burns Festival is set to launch its virtual festival on Saturday the 4th of July with ‘Live Concerts’ streaming on Facebook and Instagram along with new content on our website camperdownburnsfestival.com.au. Luke Plumb, Fiona Ross, Kate Bourke and The Cornerhouse Band will be the first of our performers over our virtual festival weekend. We plan to present further live streaming concerts later in the year. For those not on social media you can still see our Facebook and Instagram feeds via our website. Our website will feature an array of material that tells the story of the festival while showcasing our beautiful district and spotlighting the many connections that Camperdown Victoria has to Scottish heritage. What might you find on the website? Festival Coordinator, Catherine O’Flynn, shares an Acknowledgement of Country filmed at The Wombeetch Puyuun Reconciliation Park. From across the waves Robert Burns World …

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